This Study Guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more -
everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man.

Summary

On the ship back to the United States, the young man befriends a physician whom he describes as “the broadest-minded colored man I have ever talked with on the Negro question.” They quickly develop a friendship and the physician invites the man to accompany him on his visit to Boston, then to his home in Washington.

After leaving the physician, the narrator travels to Atlanta by train and quickly joins a passionate discussion about “the Negro question” with a diverse group of people. The discussion narrows down to two people, a Texan and a Union soldier, who argue whether the Black race is an inferior race and whether that makes a difference on how they should be treated. Once the train arrives, the narrator continues on to Macon where he catches his first glimpse of rural Black life. The conditions of the food and...